Is our obsession with makeup healthy?

I have a lot to say when it comes to how society views beauty, but in this article I will be mainly addressing makeup. In modern society it is not only socially acceptable for women to wear makeup but in some places ( like the United States) it has become a daily expectation. Some women even refuse to go out in public if they are not wearing makeup.

The thing I find the most poisonous about makeup ( and the beauty industry that promotes it) is that we so willingly allow it to define our idea of beauty. That idea is very often " hide what you really look like." This leads to low self-esteem and we feel like we NEED make-up in order to be beautiful.

Basically, the makeup industry creates problems and makes you believe they are real problems ( usually through advertisements) then they offer you a solution to a problem THEY created in the first place! If they really wanted us to feel beautiful and comfortable with who we are, they would promote a natural look rather than purple eyelids and sparkly lips. There are an abundant amount of problems with makeup and I can't address all of them in this article, but makeup does touch on bigger issues than just beauty and I want to talk about one of them.

Makeup leads its users to believe that if they wear it, people will like them more which implies that people wouldn't be liking us for who we actually are. Makeup not only encourages its users to hide how they actually look, but it also glorifies them for trying to look less like themselves. Makeup sends a pretty powerful message that it's not okay to be comfortable with how you look. It tells society that those who see beauty in different light are wrong and encourages conformity. And if you DARE to admit that you are perfect, you're not only wrong but you are also being extremely arrogant. The ideals presented by the makeup industry DON'T EXIST which is why no one is ever deemed as " perfect" by the makeup industry because if you could actually obtain perfection then you wouldn't keep buying their products. The makeup industry has one goal and one goal only: making money. "Beauty must be defined as what we are, or the concept itself is our enemy." --Laci Green